A New Beginning
by fantreasureplanetljs
Summary: Ever wonder what happened to Silver after he "escaped' from the Legacy? This is my own imagined story of how Silver meets someone that will change his life for the better.
1. Chapter 1

Three years have passed since the adventure with the loot of a thousand worlds. Silver has been successfully dodging the authorities and has been able to resist his urges to go back to his old lifestyle of pirating. He was able to fix a ratty old sloop and use that as his means of transportation.

Now his existence is roaming the nether regions of the galaxy in search of abandoned ships or planets where he can hide out for a while.

One day he comes across a small schooner. He keeps his distance for he sees someone on the prow with the Interstellar Academy uniform.

Not wanting to have this person alert other officers that are either on the ship itself or within the vicinity, Silver pulls out a high-powered pistol and shoots to injure this person. However, the impact from the shot made this man lose his balance and fall to his demise in the etherium. This was not how Silver meant for things to turn out. He cursed himself for not waiting till the man was off the prow before doing so. And what was worse, he saw a pack of scavenger Cacherodons circling and soon having a meal. Silver, sick at heart for what he had caused to happen and what he just saw, boarded the schooner and searched for any other sign of life. After searching the various rooms and spaces, he assumed it was vacant...which was rather strange if it was a Navy ship. Then he noticed that he heard a strange sliding sound. Looking around and using his cyborg eye to scan he notices in the storage room that a small section of the wall has...moved from where he remembered seeing it last. After walking closer to that room,he notices a young woman shuffling out of a small crawl space of sorts. She appears to glance over in his direction and calls out in a calm voice, "Have you secured the area, Seth?" Silver wonders what she means...and if she's delirious or something. For she seems to look at him, or in his general direction at least, and her eyes seem to be scanning the room. But when she repeats the name and is still looking in his direction, he realizes that she must be blind.

He tries to say in a non-threatening voice, "Lass, I'm afraid he is gone..." The woman is clearly startled to hear the foreign voice and asks, "And who might you be, sir? Are you one of them?" Silver, not understanding, asks, "Them?" She replies, "the IA?"

Silver weighs his options - if he answers no, she might have a secret button that will alert those brutes to this situation and he couldn't have that. If he answered yes, she may not do that and might even trust him... So he answered, "Indeed I am." While he said that, he noticed that she had cocked her head as if listening for something. Then she said after a moment's pause, "No you aren't." Silver, aghast at her perception tries to cover his tracks. "Now see here young lady, I was in that blasted place for over several years and became a..a...one of the highest ranks there is. Don't you dare tell me that I'm not." She answers, "Hmmm, well if you are then why did you hesitate in your answer initially? And don't use the excuse that you didn't know what IA stood for." As a matter of fact, Silver was going to throw that at her...but he knew she was right-everyone in the galaxy knew what it stood for. With a sigh and a small chuckle he admits," Ah, you're right on the trail, lass. I'm nothin' more than old retired spacer."

She replies," Actually, I'm glad that you are not one of them..." Silver wonders a little at that comment but then says to her,"Heh, we might as well have introductions." He steps closer to her and, out of habit, extends his right hand. "Captain John Silver, at your service, milady."

After he does this he remembers that she is blind and starts to withdraw it. But she extends her hand as well and says," Dawn Reilly. Good to meet you Mr. Silver...and uh, please don't call me 'milady'. It's a term I'm not too fond of."

"Very well, then, Dawn." As they get to taking, Silver finds out that she is a runaway and is not at all happy with the way IA runs things...as a matter of fact she hates them, for a reason that she does not wish to disclose.


	2. Chapter 2

As Silver questions her, he finds out that she is a runaway and that this sailing vessel was stolen. Good, he thought, she should pose no problem for me.

Dawn cuts into his thoughts by asking him, "I don't want to offend you, , but would you be, by any chance, the famous cyborg that the Royal Navy is in hot pursuit over?" Silver wonders at her knowledge and is a bit uneasy at this information. Nevertheless, he replies," Heh, you're not one to mince words, are ya lass? There's no use for me to deny it.. I suppose I am. Forgive me for askin', but, uh, how did ya know that I'm a cyborg?"

"Well, because when I shook your hand it didn't feel...quite...right. And when you were shifting your weight or moving, one foot thumped like...ummm...heavier sounding than the other one. Not to mention the fact that I keep hearing this unsettling whirring. So my conclusion that you are one turned out right which is sort of surprising." Then she pops the question he had been dreading to answer. "Where was her brother Seth?"

Silver couldn't bear the thought of telling her what he'd caused to happen so instead he said with real heartfelt emotion, "Your brother got shot at by a (sighs) a companion of mine. He saw the uniform and fired out of reflexive action and in the commotion...your brother...fell of his position from the prow and got sucked into the etherium." He goes on to say that his companion suffered the same fate as well. Dawn seems to believe him for she does not show any signs of disbelief. Her face turning a shade of white, she goes into a small state of shock and keeps muttering that she needs to get someone to help her get to the Reis Nebulae and that she needs to find where Nimbus is. Silver couldn't help but wonder at this girl. She was blind, yet she is talking as if she is the captain, spouting off coordinates and whatnot. He feels terrible about his actions and how he blatantly lied to her. And to make matters worse, he was Ursidian instincts started to develop a sense of needing to protect this...this...this victim now that she no longer had anyone to do so.

Suddenly, Dawn seems to snap out of her state of shock and quickly feels her way to an adjacent room and begins to start working the controls of a strange-looking machine...which Silver soon finds out are actually controls for the ship. She punches in some coordinates and before he knows it, the ship is staring to gain speed. Silver steps in front of her and blocks her from the controls. "Now hold on here, lass, you can't do this."

"I need to go back to our last stop," she replies and tries to push him aside. "I know what I'm doing, . Perhaps you could help me out a bit by keeping a lookout?" "A lookout? How about I steer the ship and you just step aside," Silver said getting perturbed. And he tries to lead her over to one side. Dawn, with a stubborn resolve ,remains where she is and with an exasperated sigh ,pulls a lever. Silver then hears a low humming sound reverberating around the ship and before he can say "watch out" a large adult Megaptera Galacticus flies dangerously close to the ship.

A/N :For those of you wondering what Megaptera is, it is just a fancy scientific name for the humpback whale. ;) Here is a bit of suspense for you! :O


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn pushes a series of tabs which in turn make strange haunting sounds that the whale seems to be listening to. Then the whale lets out a loud rumble and "swims" off. Then Dawn turns to Silver and says, "Don't worry about being the lookout...unless you want to do it. We have an escort that will alert us to any potential danger." Silver is still trying to figure out what has just happened. Did she just...? Ah, maybe he's gone too long without eating something.

Yet, how is she able to steer the ship without actually being on the bridge? He examines her controls, and only sees a confusing jumble of knobs, levers, and serrated button-like...things. He is startled when she suddenly asks him if he would like to steer while she checked the fuel gauge.

He declines saying that she appears to have it quite under control and that if she didn't mind, he would check it for her. She gives him directions on where to find it and is dismayed to see that it too has the same kind of configuration that the main controls did. Why couldn't this girl have anything legible on this blasted ship, he wondered to himself. Eventually, he figures out how to read the blasted thing and returns to tell her that they are dangerously low.

With a grin, she teasingly asks him if he got lost. "No, I did not. Your directions were just fine." She simply replies that she wasn't referring to the directions. Before Silver can ask what she means, a smaller whale "swims" beside the ship and emits a series of low rumbling calls. Dawn then takes charge of the controls, and with a flurrying of her fingers she brings the ship to a smooth cruise. "There we are. I believe we've arrived." Silver asks," Where's here?" Dawn says, "Oh just a secret place only a few people know about...it is a resting stop for us and maybe I can trade for a better, newer ship. One that won't be recognized as belonging to the Navy."

When Silver begins to ask if she is going to dock, she says something about a friend will help her dock the right way. And before she finishes saying that, Silver can see out the porthole, a couple of small sloops dragging a large harness-type thing that they attach to the schooner. Dawn then slows the ship to the lowest speed and, with the help of the other sloops, docks in a strange outcropping. Then when she is sure that the ship is completely docked, she cuts the engines and begins to gather a few important items from a drawer. She seems to decide to leave several things behind, which is when Silver hears people boarding and decides to observe what will happen.

Seems as if that's all I've been doing, he thought wryly to himself, perhaps I don't need to be here after all. But he quickly dismissed that idea, for he had promised himself that he would make sure that she was well looked after. A few motley characters entered the "control room" and were more than a bit surprised to see him there. He could instantly smell their fear of him but Dawn seemed to assure them that he was not to be feared and that he was a friend. Silver's hearing perked up at that. A friend? He only had been with her a few hours and she was already calling him a friend. With her assurance in mind, the goat-like people accompanied them out to a warehouse building. Which Silver soon discovered with delight that it was a place to order food as well as any choice of beverages. Once inside, he hears lively chatter which dies down when people notice him entering. These species are all naturally fearful of Ursids and his being a cyborg is no comfort either. Then when Dawn introduces him as the coveted prize that the Royal Navy has never been able to capture, they seem a bit more accepting of him...which seems a little odd at first. But he soon understands why.

Dawn says to him in a hushed tone that they are all runaways or individuals seeking a better life that was ruined by one reason or another. When Silver fails to introduce himself right away, Dawn takes charge and says, "Everyone this is Captain John Silver."


	4. Chapter 4

And with that introduction of hers, the lot of them greeted him as if he were an old,long-lost friend of theirs. Strange how they seemed to be waiting for her approval,thought Silver. Before he knows it, several Equinid's are surrounding him and chatting up a storm about how famous he has become.

When Silver looks back to find where Dawn is, he sees her exiting the building with an odd looking android. Excusing himself from the crowd,he makes his way over to her before she leaves and inquires as to where she is going. She answers,"I have been told that the schooner is in bad shape and will need to be rebuilt-" The android cuts in and says,"Several hazardous areas of faulty wiring were discovered as well as a small gash in the solar outlet.

Workers will have to pretty much scrap it and start over." Dawn resumes,"Yes,well,I am just thankful we could make it to a port in time to have it taken care of. It may take the workers several days to fix and by that time I will be wanting to leave." Then addressing Silver she states," I believe you will need a new vessel as well. For the workers have sent word that they are surprised that your little craft even functioned as well as it did. If you'd like, I could have Bosco" she motions toward the android "here show you around the yard." She means the place where they store the working ships that are ready to sail. Silver would like to leave as well...he never really had a desire to stay in one place for too long. He replies,"All right." Then when he sees her start to head out again he admonishes her to be careful. To his surprise,she laughs and whispers to Bosco," I think I scared him when I started to set coordinates and take control of the steering." Bosco whispers something back to which they both get a kick out of. Silver,tired of the flippant way she talks of that subject,waves his hand away and walks back to the Equinids. They start in on their exuberant conversations and when Silver comments on that,they reply,"It is not often that we have a reformed pirate in our midst." Silver stiffens at that and asks where they had heard that. One elderly gent answers,"I heard it with my own ears from a young chap who seemed to admire you.' Silver instantly thinks of that boy that turned into a fine young man during the trip to the "loot of a thousand worlds". Silver smiled at that recollection. He had taught that boy important lessons for life-and in turn Jim had taught Silver something equally important. It was the thing that turned Silver's life around...although he still had to hide from the authorities for past crimes he he could truthfully say that he had not gone back to pirating since he said farewell to Jim.

The elderly Equinid has been talking while Silver was reminiscing... "...it's not too often I hear about a sensational true story like with how widespread the crimes if one were to stop,they may eventually go right back to it again." Silver,not knowing if this person is referring to Jim or himself,remains silent. For Jim had confided in him that he got into some minor trouble with the law. But the horse-like alien then stood up feebly and walked over to where Silver was standing. The room became very still. Then he said," I was a former Navy commander and I know first-hand what you were,Silver. You've certainly come a long ways from the ruthless person I used to know."


	5. Chapter 5

Silver was starting to feel more than uncomfortable. Who was this guy? Was he supposed to know him from somewhere? The Equinid then introduced himself as Lucas Kelly...a.k.a "The Phantom". Then it all came back to Silver in one instant memory flash. One time Silver had just finished raiding a cargo ship when this Navy ship appeared out of thin air,it seemed like. Actually he and his crew were so caught up in the excitement that they had forgotten to keep a lookout for the authorities. Well,they managed to break away from the authorities in that every time he and his crew would find something to loot,there was always this one ship that would show up. Lucas had actually been a pirate himself and still had connections who alerted him as to when a 'big one' would be coming through. Silver had met with Lucas on only two occasions,face to face. The other times he was sent word from him. Silver wondered how old he was because he had to have been at least 60...and that was almost 20 years ago. Lucas goes on to tell Silver,"...I had kept my eye on you ever since and have been tracking you as I've been managed to elude me several times but I was always able to find you I was very surprised,to say the least,when I got news of some tantalizing targets that you didn't go after. Then one day I was showing those brats how to be a good member of the Navy...and most of them ignored me and probably thought I was just an old geezer who probably forgot lots of things anyway...But one stood apart from them all and took in every word I had to say. And soon after, I happened to overhear him talking to a...uh,something...and talking of how you completely turned his life around. Had he not gone on that journey he never would be anything now. When I came in and asked who he may have been talking to-I didn't see anyone or anything at first-he motioned to a little pet that looked strangely like you.

Then it turned back into its normal form. That young chap proceeded to tell me how much he had achieved from under your guidance. Needless to say I was in doubt that he was talking about the same John Silver that I knew when I left that day,I decided to test out a theory...and it has proved to be true. And if I still had authority in that wasting place I'd tell them to expunge your criminal past."

Silver didn't know what to say. For lack of words he asked,"So you were the one that kept buzzing around every time I found a ship?"

At that the crowd burst into laughter and started asking Silver questions again...between eating mouthfuls of food and drink.

Afterwards,Silver is satiated with the fine meal and rum and heads out to get some fresh happens to run into Bosco and cordially greets him. He then gets to talking about Dawn and asks the android how she could become the captain when she has such a disability? Bosco simply states that he didn't want to tell him and that he should ask her if he really wants to know. Silver,thinking that he has offended someone here asks,"Is it a personal matter with her?" "Yes,very much so that she only reveals it to a select few whom she trusts." Then he quickly adds as an afterthought,"If she fully trusts you,she will tell you...in her own time."


	6. Chapter 6

As Silver thought about that, he noticed Dawn fingering a yabra...(a ox-like creature with definitive black-and-white stripes.). Motioning to that, he asks Bosco what she is doing. Bosco answers with a chortle,"Oh,looks like she found old Jasper. She is "seeing" him."

Silver not quite understanding says,"But...she is blind,is she not?"

Bosco says,"Oh,right you don't-never mind. Let's just say that she is able to touch anything and get a general idea of what the object is. For instance is it tall, smooth, young, eh,you know,general features that she can get an idea of how they would look. We give her a description of how we see it as well."

"So she 'sees' it by-"

"By running her hands over something, that's right."

Finally able to understand that, Silver asks,"Does she do that with people too?"

Bosco thinks before replying right away."Only once again if she trusts you to a certain degree. Some even consider it an honor to be "seen" by her. She has a knack for things, that's for certain." With that, the little android made his way back to the building. Silver decides to wander over to where Dawn is and ask her some things that he had been wondering about ever since he met her.

Although he stops a short ways off from her and doesn't do anything that would alert his presence to her,she addresses him suddenly. "Well,did you enjoy one of Zaq's fine meals and the companionship?"

Boy was Bosco right about her perception,Silver thought to himself. Then to her he says,"I certainly did.(clears throat) Eh,you don't have to use the formalities, ya know...unless you want to. I'm perfectly happy bein' called John Silver."

Dawn, having finished "seeing" Jasper, asks,"May I just call you Silver?''

Silver replies,"You may... if you wish, you can call me Captain Silver, as well."

Dawn raises an eyebrow and asks,"Isn't that considered a formality?"

Silver shrugs. "That depends on how ya look at it."

"You like to be evasive don't you? Do you want me to call you Captain Silver or no?" Silver, getting a little exasperated, replies,"Lass, I don't care what you address me. As long as it ain't a derogatory term or a name other than my own, it doesn't matter to me."

Dawn says slowly,"All right then...Silver." Then she takes him off guard with her next question. "Are you upset with me?''

Silver, taken aback by that, replies,"Why not at all. Whatever gave you that notion?"

"It just seemed like you might have been because you're just...quiet,I suppose." Then with a wave of her hand, she says,"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Before Silver can wonder what that was about,she starts to head down a path that has many dangerous obstacles. Calling out to her to wait, he makes his way down and starts to walk beside her. He comments," Yer sure able ta get around even with your-" Then he stops because he realized she may think him rude for saying so. But she picks up where he left off and states," My blindness can be viewed two ways: it can be viewed as a terrible curse on my life or it can be viewed as an asset. If I viewed it as a curse, I'd waste my life away moping about something that will never be. But if I utilize the different things that it helps to strengthen, then I can get on with my life and still enjoy life to its fullest."

When Silver starts to try to apologize for bringing it up, Dawn says warmly,"Silver, I don't mind it at all. There is no need for you to be concerned about it. As a matter of fact ,if you have questions about how I'm able to get around like I do, I'd be very happy to tell you. Anyone around here can attest to that.''

Silver says solemnly,"Someday I'd like to, lass." Then as he continued to walk with her, they came to the shipyard where a large, _Loxodonta_ alien cheerfully greeted them from atop a salvaged sloop. Jumping down from his dangerous spot,he asks as to whether or not Dawn is ready to take the stranger on a tour of the yard. Dawn replies,"Depending on how late it is as I have to get back to my booth really soon. But you can give him it if he wants to buy a potential vessel." And with that, the three-some make their way down long walkways and Silver gets an eyeful of salvaged ships from all across the galaxy. Sensing Silver's excitement, Dawn says to him,"You can even reserve a ship or two if you'd like to test it." With that in mind,Silver picks out three potential vessels that are very fine. Not only in appearance but also in agility.

Over the course of that week, Silver became close to Dawn. Although he didn't know if the same was true for her, she treated him with respect and even showed him how to read a map that had strange letters that were lifted up on the paper. That would come in handy for him when he visited other places that didn't have normal language. But one day, she was not to be seen or heard anywhere. When Silver inquired if anyone had seen her, they all said that she was at the Grand Hut...which in reality was only a place where they stored the longboats and various other small crafts. As he arrived he noticed another android leaving with a disappointed look on its face. Silver soon found out why. The android said glumly that Dawn has not been able to get anyone to pilot a ship to the planet Earth nor has anyone been able to install her navigational system either.

Bewildered, Silver asked,"Why ta' devil does she want to go there?" The android takes him aside and quietly says,"I think she has given up on life itself. She may deny that but it's true. She feels that since she will never be able to see, no one outside of this dinky planet will ever accept her for who she is...not to mention the fact that she could never go back to her poor excuse of a family."

"So no one is willin' to take her ta that planet?"

"No one, sir. They have heard the legends of its danger-stricken atmosphere and are afraid to venture into it."

Silver thought for a few minutes then said,"I will take her there because I've been very close to it and know how to avoid those spots."

After some more conversation, it was decided that Silver would take her in the ship of his choice with enough stores to last the journey. When Dawn found out, she was very surprised that this stranger would do something for her like that. She thought he must want something in return and even politely said so. Silver swore that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart and told her," It only has to do with my Ursid nature, you see, for I couldn't just leave you somewhere always wondering if you were safe or not." It was also guilt over how he had foolishly dealt with her brother, but he didn't mention that to her.

Dawn seemed to accept his reason and with that made preparations to leave as well. While Silver was choosing a ship, he said to Dawn (who was with him),"This one reminds me of you, Dawn."

"Oh? And why is that,Silver?"

Smiling, Silver said,"Because of its name... 'H.M.S Gifted'."

Dawn, becoming embarrassed, quickly replied,"Just make sure it's in shipshape condition for the journey,okay?"


	7. Chapter 7

Silver held back a chuckle and teasingly saluted her...which brought grins to the onlookers nearby. He ended up buying that ship after all for a relatively cheap price and he and Dawn set sail the next day. When Silver tried to have Dawn do menial jobs on the ship, she confronted him and told him,"Captain, I can do more than this little bit you've given me. Why don't you kindly allow me to work on some other areas of this blasted tub." Reluctantly, Silver agreed and, over the course of the journey, he was amazed at how much she was able to accomplish despite her handicap. But something else was transforming as well. He was starting to develop feelings for her...not those protective feelings that he felt after he first met her, but feelings of deep affection. He wondered if she could have them as well, but he thought it best not to say anything about for now.

Instead he wondered if she could somehow receive an operation to help her see again, that she may change her mind about living a pitiful life as a beggar in the strange Earth. One day he asked her,"Dawn,why are ya so dead set to live permanently on this dangerous planet Earth?"

Stiffening imperceptibly, Dawn said simply,"I have no ties to anything or anyone anymore." When Silver asked if her friends back at the "Outcroppings" would care for her, she said that they had their own lives to live and shouldn't be burdened down with the likes of her. But when Silver tried to find out if she had any kin, she faced him angrily and said," I'm dead to my family since I could never be what they expected of me...only Seth, my brother, loved me for who I was. . . but now he's gone as well."

Once again Silver has guilt pangs over what he did and the very thought of knowing that the boy was her only support made things even worse. Silver proposed the option of having an operation so that she would be able to do as she wanted without falling below others standards.

" Do you have any idea how much they cost? I mean it would probably take me three years to save enough for it and who's to say if it will do any good?"

Silver replied,"What if I told ya that I happened ta have a doctor friend who owes me something in return fer something I did for him years ago?"

"I would ask you why you'd want to waste his time and your time with that?"

Silver was tempted to say that he loved her and wanted her to live a happy life possibly with him, but instead he just said," It will do ya a world of good, lass."

Dawn thought it over a few minutes and then replied,"All right. I'll go see him." Silver smiled and was very relieved that she didn't raise a fuss at him for bringing up the topic. "Right-o. We should start plotting our course now fer Japitex."


	8. Chapter 8

When two weeks have gone by, Silver begins to notice that he has strange dreams. It wasn't so much that the dreams themselves were strange, just that the noises he heard sounded eerie and yet familiar in some way. 'Ah well', he thought to himself, 'tis just the ship ' ta worry over.' But every other night he would hear the sound. _REOOOOOOOEEEEEMMMM_..._MRRRMRMRRMM_..._WOORRRRR_..._SCRWWOOOO_

It seemed to reverberate in his mind. _PRRRRRM_... _QRRRRRROOOO_..._EEEEEEIK EEIK EEEEK-_

Waking with a start, he realizes the sound is rattling the whole ship as well! He got out of his hammock, quick as he could and made for the sound. As he strode up to the main deck, and the sound grew louder, he couldn't help but wonder if he knew what it was. But how? No, he thought, impossible! When he finally saw where the noise was emanating from, his suspicions were proved to be right after all. Astounded, he watches as if he were still in a surreal dream. It seemed as if Dawn was playing a slow melody on her tin whistle with those humpback space whales weaving their voices in with it. She seemed... haggard and it appeared as if she were crying. One whale uttered a very low note which Silver identified as the one that woke him up. The other whale seems to be a pup for it cannot make so many impressive sounds as the adult, yet it can match the muted tin whistle in the in-between notes. Dawn makes a strange sound come out of the instrument...a sound that causes Silver to experience strange emotions. Loss. A keening sound it was. The whales dipped their heads to it and matched their calls as well.

Silver silently backed down the stairs and returned to his room. He wanted to ask her what caused her to grieve so, but he felt that it must have been a private moment for her and did not want to disturb it. He fell into a fitful sleep. The next day, Silver noticed right away that Dawn seemed to be quieter than she usually was. Usually, she greeted him and proceeded to ask him if he knew such-and-such about a particular topic or would be talkative. Silver thought he should carry on as usual, but was worried when she wouldn't say much to him and instead asked if she could please be allowed to clean off the hull of the ship. Silver raised an eyebrow at this, but said she could. With a quick glance at the hull, he figured it would take her all day to clear it all off. Boy, was he ever surprised to see her finish it in half that amount of time and then asking him if she could go do another strenuous task. This continued for several days, with Dawn not speaking to him except to say"yes", "no", to help plot their course, or to see if their was any job that she could do. One evening, she rushes out of the galley when Silver comes in and makes her way out to the railing. Silver lets her be out there by herself, thinking she would come back in once the temperature dropped, as it always did in the etherium. But she didn't. After he had finished what he needed to do, he walked over to her and stood beside her, wondering at her foul mood. They stood in silence for, what seemed to Silver, a very long time. Looking over at her, he saw tears streaming down her face and she was clenching and unclenching her fists and trembling. Not knowing what to do, Silver looked back out at the etherium as if searching for his answer in that vastness.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dawn broke the silence by saying in a steady voice,"Why did you lie to me, Silver?"

A million things were rushing through Silver's brain at once. What was she talking about?

"Lass, whatever do ye mean?"

Dawn steeled herself and said through clenched teeth, "You are the one who killed Seth aren't you?"

Then it became clear to him. But how? With a heavy sigh, he said quietly,"I just couldn't bring me self ta tell ya. If I-"

She cuts in and says with a strange coolness, "Is that like a habit for you or something?! You see someone that you think is an officer of sorts and you **kill** them just like that? How could you be so **cruel**? And to** LIE** about the whole incident afterwards?"

Silver tries to explain,"I was not trying to kill him,only-"

"Oh, if you didn't _**MEAN**_ to Silver,you would have come clean long ago!" She shouts back and starts to turn away from him in anger.

Silver's temper is flaring now as well."Dawn, I tell ya,** I WAS NOT AIMING TO KILL HIM**! I was meaning to only injure him so that he wouldn't alert any other officers of my presence!"

Dawn's eyes flashed in pure hate. "YOU WERE THINKING THAT, YET YOU FAILED TO LET ME KNOW THAT SO I WOULDN'T KNOW THAT **YOU'RE A COLD-HEARTED** MAN!"

If Dawn could have seen how those words hurt him she would have seen pain and regret etched in his face. Silver knew that he should have come clean like she said. He wished things had turned out differently. It seemed as if that was all he did recently...regretting choices he made throughout his life.

Then Dawn slowly turned back toward him and said something so quietly that Silver had to strain to hear her. "Why, Silver? Why did you do it?"


End file.
